EFFECT OF BETA-GLUCAN BARLEY FRACTIONS IN HIGH-FIBER BREAD AND PASTA

High-fiber, high-complex carbohydrate diets have been useful in regula ting blood lipids, blood glucose, and insulin response-factors that ar e significant in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart diseas e and diabetes. Breads and pastas with increased levels of dietary fib er (including beta-glucans) were produced by substituting barley flour fractions enriched with beta-glucan for 5, 20, or 40% of the standard flours. The dry milled/sieved and water-extracted barley fractions co ntained 42 and 51% total dietary fiber (TDF) and 19 and 33% beta-gluca ns, respectively. Bread, in which the dry milled/sieved barley flour f raction replaced 20% of the standard flour, contained 4.2 times the TD F, 7.6 times the total beta-glucans, and 0.8 times kcal per serving co mpared to the control. This bread was judged acceptable in laboratory acceptance tests although loaf volume was reduced and color was slight ly darker than the control. Pastas in which barley fractions replaced 20 or 40% of the wheat semolina provided 5.4 to 10.4 g TDF per serving (compared with 2 g in the control). These pastas, which could be labe led as good or high-fiber sources, respectively, had acceptable sensor y quality although they were darker in color than the control. Kilocal ories in a serving of these pastas with 20 and 40% flour substitution were 11 and 16%, respectively, lower than in the control. When the wat er-extracted barley fraction was substituted in breads and pastas, col or scores and acceptability improved over those containing the dry mil led/sieved barley fraction.